Centrifugal parts feeder and method

ABSTRACT

A centrifugal parts feeder having a conical central driven rotor surrounded by a circular bowl wall. Tooling is provided for the feeding of cylindrical parts particularly where the length exceeds the diameter. A bowl plow spaced from the bowl wall at a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the parts accomplishes the first alignment and then delivers the parts to an elevating plow and thereafter to a corner trap which diagonally engages the vertically oriented cylindrical parts and delivers the same to a reject discharge where the horizontal parts are dropped and recirculated. A turning chute is optionally provided where the parts are to be delivered with the axis horizontally oriented. A trip finger is provided at a point downstream from the bowl plow to orient parts which are tipped. The method contemplates the steps of confining the cylindrical parts for single file movement, positively confining the parts to be delivered, elevating the same, and then rejecting those parts which are not elevated and confined.

United States Patent [191 [451 May 29,1973

Miller [54] CENTRIFUGAL PARTS FEEDER AND METHOD [75] Inventor: Paul Marcus Miller, Largo, Fla. [73] Assignee: Tangen Drives, Inc., Clearwater,

Fla.

[22] Filed: May 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 145,632

[52] US. Cl ..198/220 BC, 221/160 [51] Int. Cl ..B65g 27/00 [58] Field of Search ..198/220 BC, 220 BA; 221/157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,165,194 12/1965 Madden ..221/158 X 2,725,971 12/1955 Riede 221/159 X 3,012,651 12/1961 I-Iawkes ..221/157 X 3,114,448 12/1963 Boris ..198/220 BC 2,853,176 9/1958 Kay et al ..221/158 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 707,969 4/1954 Great Britain ..221/160 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-Hadd S. Lane Attorney-Dominik, Knechtel & Godula [5 7 ABSTRACT A centrifugal parts feeder having a conical central driven rotor surrounded by a circular bowl wall. Tooling is provided for the feeding of cylindrical parts particularly where the length exceeds the diameter. A bowl plow spaced from the bowl wall at a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the parts accomplishes the first alignment and then delivers the parts to an elevating plow and thereafter to a corner trap which diagonally engages the vertically oriented cylindrical parts and delivers the same to a reject discharge where the horizontal parts are dropped and recirculated. A turning chute is optionally provided where the parts are to be delivered with the axis horizontally oriented. A trip finger is provided at a point downstream from the bowl plow to orient parts which are tipped. The method contemplates the steps of confining the cylindrical parts for single file movement, positively confining the parts to be delivered, elevating the same, and then rejecting those parts which are not elevated and confined.

12 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures V///////[L/// //I PATENTEDMYZQIQB I 3.735.859

' SHEET 1 OF 3 INVENTOR. PAUL MARCUS MILLER BY ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEDHAYZQIQB SHEET 2 [1F 3 INVENTOR.

PAUL MARCUS MILLER BY ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEDMYZQIW 3.735.859

Y//////////// TB;

\ v I a INVENTOR. PAUL MARCUS MILLER BY fimu; WiZAM L ATTORNEYS.

CENTRIFUGAL PARTS FEEDER AND METHOD BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to equipment generally used for orienting and feeding parts at rates in excess of 200 parts per minute. Vibratory bowl feeders of the character disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,662,192 and 2,535,050 are known for feeding, but where larger parts and higher feed rates are involved, a centrifugal parts feeder having a rotary conical member as a rotor and a circular bowl wall has considerable advantages. Co-pending pat. application Ser. No. 5,706 filed Jan. 26, 1970, assigned to the same assignee of this application is exemplary of such centrifugal parts feeders, both as to structure and the method of feeding cylindrical objects.

2. Description of Prior Art The prior art devices, particularly the vibratory bowl feeders such as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,662,192 and 2,535,050, have been known for years in the feeding of small parts. Certain disadvantages are attendant to their use such as the scratching and marring of the surfaces of parts, and more particularly, a limited speed of feed rate. The George Schultz pat. application Ser. No. 5,706 filed Jan. 26, I970, illustrates the use of a centrifugal parts feeder of the character disclosed herein which is capable of feeding cylindrical parts at a speed of 300 to 500 parts per minute. Where the cylindrical parts have a length in excess of the diameter, when first aligned by a bowl plow, some of the parts will align themselves with their cylindrical axis parallel to the direction of flow, and others perpendicular. It is then necessary to segregate the two dissimilarly oriented cylindrical parts and retain those parts which are best oriented for subsequent feeding. Where plastic cups of the character used on top of aerosol cans are involved, they naturally have to be ultimately all oriented in one direction to be fed to a capping device which in turn places the cups properly on the top of a production line of aerosol cans. Once such parts are delivered in a rolling configuration whether the open end is in one direction of the other, the chute mechanism and method of the co-pending George Schultz patent application then becomes applicable. On the other hand, where spools already wrapped with thread are to be fed to a labelling device, and both ends are equivalent, the apparatus and method of the present invention will accomplish the orientation, and not promote the tangling of loose ends of thread which otherwise occurs where vibratory feeders are employed. Furthermore, feed rates in excess of 500 parts per minute are readily achieved with the apparatus and method of the present invention, significantly in excess of the capability of vibratory feeders.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention solves the problem of orienting cylindrical parts in a centrifugal feeder where the part is longer than its diameter by recognizing that some parts will, upon being positioned single file by a bowl plow, be oriented with their axis parallel with the axis of rotation of the bowl rotor, and others will be oriented with their axes along the direction of parts flow and that by trapping the vertically oriented cylindrical parts across the diagonal, the same can be elevated out of line sufficiently so that those parts which are oriented horizontally with their axes along the path of flow may be rejected and recirculated. The structure includes a bowl plow spaced apart from the bowl wall a distance at least that of the diameter of the cylindrical part, and preferably greater. A trip finger near the bowl plow tip engages cylindrical parts which are cocked at an angle and turns them to the vertical with their axes parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor. Thereafter the parts are engaged by an elevating plow adjacent the bowl wall which raises those parts which are vertically oriented and to be fed to where their tops are considerably above the horizontal cylindrical parts which are to be rejected. Subsequently a corner trap, diagonally positioned from the elevating plow, engages that portion of the cylindrical member diagonally opposed to that which is engaged by the elevating plow. At the terminal end of the bowl plow, a reject discharge opening is defined where the horizontally oriented cylindrical parts roll off of the elevating rail and recirculate in the bowl. Pneumatic assists are available to accelerate the discharge of the rejected part, and also prior to engaging the corner trap to remove any parts which become piled up in the initial feed. The method of the invention is primarily directed to the recognition of the desirability of trapping those parts which are vertically oriented by a diagonal retention thereby permitting those parts not so oriented to be rejected.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE DRAWINGS The foregoing objects, apparatus, and method will be better understood when implemented in an operative embodiment such as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a centrifugal bowl feeder illustrative of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view exemplary of the type of parts which are advantageously fed by the subject centrifugal feeder.

FIG. 3 is a partially broken plan view of the centrifugal bowl feeder illustrating the semicircular portion thereof containing the principal structural elements illustrative of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along Section line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken frontal view of the interior wall of the bowl showing the trip finger taken from Arrow 5-5 shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a partially broken enlarged sectional illustrative view taken along Reference line 6-6 of FIG. 3 illustrating a midposition of the trip finger shown in frontal elevation in FIG. 5 and how the same assists in aligning parts disposed at an angle against the bowl plow.

FIG. 7 is a top view enlarged of the pile up tongue at the front portion of the vertical trap cage shown in assembled relationship in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 14 are enlarged, partially diagrammatic, broken sectional views taken along the periphery of the bowl as illustrated in FIG. 3, and as identified respectively by Section lines 88; 99; l010; Illl; l2l2; l313; and l4l4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Apparatus The over all device illustrative of the present invention is shown in perspective in FIG. 1 where it will be seen that the centrifugal parts feeder 10 comprises a bowl wall 11 surrounding a rotor 12. The rotor 12 is conical in its upper face, and flat on the base. A variable speed motor (not shown) rotates the rotor 12 and predetermines speed. The frame 14 desirably provides for adjustability of the tilt angle of the bowl and rotor 11,12. In operation a plurality of parts 15 are dropped in to the bowl and as the rotor rotates, the same are processed and oriented for delivery in proper orientation to the delivery chute 16.

Turning now to FIG. 2, typical parts 15 of the character advantageously fed by the illustrative centrifugal parts feeder 10 are shown. There it will be seen that such parts may be plastic caps for aerosol cans, threaded spools which may be fed to labeling machines or packaging machines, metal cups which may be subsequently be processed to form electric lamp bases, and the like. All of these cylindrical parts have a length greater than the diameter. As the parts are rotated or circulated by the rotor 12 they are urged toward the bowl wall 11 not only by centrifugal force, but by gravity due to the conical configuration of the upper face of the rotor 12. In addition, the face of the rotor 12 is normally coated with a Aa-inch polyvinyl chloride liner which is quite slick, and permits the parts readily to move toward the bowl wall 11. In the present instance the unit is shown as rotating in the clockwise configuration as viewed in FIG. 1 as well as FIG. 3.

As the parts flow along the bowl wall 11, as particularly viewed in FIG. 3, they are accelerated by accelerating pads 24 of which eight are employed on 45 spacing. The accelerator pads 24 are a small block of rubber placed along the outer face of the rotor 12 and adjacent the plow groove 22. The plow groove 22 is provided to receive the bowl plow tip 21 of the bowl plow 20. This permits the bowl plow tip 21 to engage each part obliquely and to commence the orientation. As the parts move clockwise in their initial confinement by the bowl plow 20, some will be oriented with their axis parallel to the direction of travel, and some with the axis perpendicular to the direction of travel and generally parallel with the axis of rotation of the bowl rotor 12. Some parts, as illustrated in FIG. 6, will be canted at an angle. It is the canted part which is engaged by the trip finger 30 at a midportion thereof where the trip finger 30 is separated from the bowl wall 11 by a trip finger gap 31. The trip finger 30 is formed of a spring steel, and positioned on an angle as illustrated in FIG. 5 with the trip finger mount 32 at the upper portion, and the trip finger tip 34 yieldably engaging the bowl wall 11 at or near the peripheral edge of the bowl rotor 12.

After the parts pass the bowl plow tip and the trip finger 30, they are then all either oriented with their axis along the axis of flow, or perpendicular thereto. Thereafter the parts are engaged by the elevating plow 25 and more particularly by its tip 26. As will be seen particularly in FIG. 4, as the elevating plow 25 angles upwardly, so does the upper wall of the bowl plow so that the part continues to be confined in one orientation or the other between the bowl plow 20 and the elevating plow 25. Sometimes several parts may be positioned on top of the single file immediately in contact with the bowl plow 20 and the elevating plow 25. Such parts are removed and recirculated by a pile up tongue 28 positioned out in front of the vertical trap cage 40. The pile up tongue 28 is further assisted by a pile up air jet 29 which blows the parts off which are to be recirculated and thus the tongue 28 and the jet 29 work together to accomplish a single file of parts 15 for entry into the vertical trap cage 40.

A circulating deflector 35 is provided at the base of the vertical trap cage to deflect all of the circulating parts 15 including those which are removed by the pile up tongue 28 and the air jet 29 to provide an open area for the discharge of rejected parts as will be described hereinafter.

The construction of the trap cage 40 is best illustrated in FIG. 11, where it will be seen that the elevating rail 25 is secured to the bowl wall liner 36 and bowl wall 11 at a lower portion and diagonally thereacross is the corner trap which is a piece of angle iron, just as the elevating rail 25, having a guide ledge 46, and a mounting face 48. The corner trap 45 is further defined by the contact ledge 49 of the cage wall 41 immediately beneath the guide ledge 46. The cage wall 41 is supported by the cage wall support 42 and reinforced in position by the reinforcing bar 44. As further observed in FIG. 11, the part which is aligned with its axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor 12 and vertically in the configuration shown in FIG. 11 rests at its upper corner at the contact ledge 49, and at its lower portion a part of the base of the part 15 is at the outer edge of the elevating rail 25, and its corner against the bowl wall liner 36. It will be appreciated, of course, that as these parts are in rapid motion it is their effective orientation and not absolute orientation with which the corner trap 45 and elevating rail 25 must reckon.

As further noted, the contact ledge 49 additionally defines the upper portion of the reject discharge 50 which permits those parts oriented with their axis along the direction of flow to roll off of the elevating rail 25 and fall out of the reject discharge 50 as illustrated in FIG. 11. To further assist in this discharge, as noted in FIGS. 3 and 4, a discharge airjet 51 is provided and oriented so that its main stream is slightly above the center the cylindrical part to be discharged, thereby assisting in rolling the same off of the elevating rail 25. The discharge 50 is further defined by the termination of the bowl plow 20. Thus the horizontal part to be recirculated has no positive support in the line of flow after the vertically oriented part is engaged by the corner trap 45 and biased across with its contact on the elevating rail 25.

As shown, a turning finger 52 is provided at the end of the trap cage 40 and continues to serve the function of the contact ledge 49 of the corner trap 45 to begin the roll of the cylindrical part 15 into that rolling or horizontal configuration for delivery to the turning chute 55. With some parts such a turning chute 55 or subsequent orientation is not required, and therefore the turning finger 52 may be eliminated, and rather become the beginning of a discharge chute. It will be further noted that the guide ledge 46 of the corner trap 45 continues some distance beyond the trap cage 40, as shown, to continue the delivery of the cylindrical parts to the turning chute 55.

vThe principal advantage of the turning chute 55 will be recognized in light of copending George Schultz pat. application Ser. No. 5,706 filed Jan. 26, I970, wherein it will be seen that the aerosol caps, which are positioned in the turning chute in a rolling configuration but with a random orientation of the open ends, may be thereafter processed by the method and apparatus of the subject copending patent application to orient the same with the open ends all in one direction, whereupon they can be delivered to a capping device and positioned on aerosol cans moving down a production line. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the turning chute 55 is secured to the bowl wall 11 and frame 14 by means of 5 its own chute bracket assembly 56 which serves the primary purpose of securing the discharge chute 55 in positive relationship to the bowl 11.

METHOD The method of the present invention is best illustrated in the sequential FIGS. 6 through 14. The first step, after the parts are circulated, is to orient the same in single file generally as shown in FIG. 8. As indicated before in connection with the description of the trip finger 30, some parts will not be oriented either horizontally or vertically as shown in FIG. 6. These parts must either be rejected and recirculated, or oriented vertically'as preferentially done by the trip finger 30 or other appropriate means for accomplishing the first step of the method. As the parts continue to move they are held in position by the inner face of the bowl plow 20 or other confining means, and against the bowl wall 11 as shown in FIG. 9, and not as yet engaged by any means to elevate the same, such as the elevating plow 25 as shown in FIG. 9.

Thereafter the parts are elevated as shown in FIG. and continue their confinement either to a vertical or horizontal orientation. Optionally, a pile up removal such as illustrated in FIG. 7 by the pile up tongue 28 and its cooperating pile up air jet 29 may be employed when such a problem exists. It will be observed particularly in FIG. 10 that the height of the cylindrical member is now considerably greater than the height of the horizontally oriented cylindrical member, and is thus capable of being positively oriented by being confined diagonally across the corner, particularly as illustrated in FIG. 11. Once the vertically oriented parts are trapped as shown in FIG. 11, the horizontal parts are then rejected because they are supported in an unstable configuration with the center of gravity outside of the outermost portion of the elevating plow 25. Thereafter the parts may roll out through the reject discharge as shown in FIG. 111, or be blown out by means of the discharge air jet 511, or otherwise removed from the lineup. At this point the parts are all positively oriented according to the method of the invention. Additional orientation may be desirably achieved as shown in FIG. 12 where the part is turned, shown here by means of a turning finger 52 and a generation of a turning chute 55 which begins to position the part over on its rolling configuration as shown sequentially in FIG. 13, and thereafter in its final rolling configuration'as illustrated in FIG. 14. With parts such as threaded spools, such orientation may or may not be required to process the same into a labeling machine. With the aerosol caps, however, not only must the parts be positioned into the rolling configuration, but thereafter further oriented so that the open ends are available for positively oriented presentation to a capping machine.

In a review it will be seen that an illustrative apparatus for the feeding of cylindrical parts has been shown which utilizes the basic principle of confining the cylindrical parts along a diagonal while the improperly oriented parts are permitted to assume an unstable balance and be discharged. The method contemplates the progressive steps of orienting the parts in single file,

and thereafter trapping the same along the larger dimensions so that the parts to be rejected present the lesser dimension at a point where the same may be discharged. The commercial embodiment illustrative of the subject invention may be readily calculated to operate at the same feed rates of 300 to 500 parts per minute, and some have been operated at feed rates of 1,000 parts per minute. The smooth rotation of the rotor 12 with its poly vinyl chloride coating, and the engagement of the stainless steel wall liner of the bowl reduces to a minimum the abrasion and rough handling of the parts, thereby enhancing not only the speed of feed, but the quality of the parts which are handled.

What is claimed is:

1. A feeder for cylindrical parts comprising, in combination,

a rotary conical drive member,

a peripheral circular bowl wall surrounding said conical member to confine circulating parts,

a bowl plow having a tapered end close to said rotary member spaced from said wall and concentric therewith for a sector of said wall at a spacing in excess of the diameter of a cylindrical part,

an elevating plow adjacent said wall and downstream of said bowl plow tapered end and having a rail face to support and elevate a portion of a cylindrical part,

a corner trap above and diagonally opposed to said elevating plow for engaging a portion of said cylindrical parts when the cylindrical axis is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the conical member,

said bowl plow terminating at a point before the termination of the corner trap and elevating plow thereby defining a reject discharge for the cylindrical parts which are not oriented with their axis parallel with the axis of rotation of the conical member and diagonally retained by the elevating plow and corner trap.

2. In the feeder of claim 1,

a trip finger positioned along the forward portion of the bowl plow to catch angled parts and deflect the same to a vertical orientation.

3. In the feeder of claim 2,

a pile up tongue forward of the corner trap at an elevation above the top of a vertically oriented part.

4. In the feeder of claim 3,

a pneumatic assist pile up remover above the top of a vertical part at a mid-point along the elevating plow.

5. In the feeder of claim 4,

a pneumatic assist directed across the reject discharge above the mid point of a horizontally aligned part to assist in the discharge of the same.

6. In the feeder of claim 5,

a turning chute for receiving said oriented parts to turn same to a rolling orientation.

7. In the feeder of claim 6,

a turning finger extension of said corner trap to deliver the parts to the turning chute.

8. In the feeder of claim 1,

a pile of tongue forward of the comer trap at an elevation above the top of a vertically oriented part.

9. In the feeder of claim 1,

a turning chute for receiving said oriented parts to turn the same 90 to a rolling orientation.

10. In the feeder of claim 1,

elevating all parts whereby the parts with their axis perpendicular to the flow path rise above the parts with their axes parallel to the flow path,

confining the higher parts diagonally across their corners,

rejecting the parts with their axes parallel to the flow path by supporting at an unstable location away from the effective center of gravity thereby permitting the same to fall away while the other parts remain. 

1. A feeder for cylindrical parts comprising, in combination, a rotary conical drive member, a peripheral circular bowl wall surrounding said conical member to confiNe circulating parts, a bowl plow having a tapered end close to said rotary member spaced from said wall and concentric therewith for a sector of said wall at a spacing in excess of the diameter of a cylindrical part, an elevating plow adjacent said wall and downstream of said bowl plow tapered end and having a rail face to support and elevate a portion of a cylindrical part, a corner trap above and diagonally opposed to said elevating plow for engaging a portion of said cylindrical parts when the cylindrical axis is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the conical member, said bowl plow terminating at a point before the termination of the corner trap and elevating plow thereby defining a reject discharge for the cylindrical parts which are not oriented with their axis parallel with the axis of rotation of the conical member and diagonally retained by the elevating plow and corner trap.
 2. In the feeder of claim 1, a trip finger positioned along the forward portion of the bowl plow to catch angled parts and deflect the same to a vertical orientation.
 3. In the feeder of claim 2, a pile up tongue forward of the corner trap at an elevation above the top of a vertically oriented part.
 4. In the feeder of claim 3, a pneumatic assist pile up remover above the top of a vertical part at a mid-point along the elevating plow.
 5. In the feeder of claim 4, a pneumatic assist directed across the reject discharge above the mid point of a horizontally aligned part to assist in the discharge of the same.
 6. In the feeder of claim 5, a turning chute for receiving said oriented parts to turn same 90* to a rolling orientation.
 7. In the feeder of claim 6, a turning finger extension of said corner trap to deliver the parts to the turning chute.
 8. In the feeder of claim 1, a pile of tongue forward of the corner trap at an elevation above the top of a vertically oriented part.
 9. In the feeder of claim 1, a turning chute for receiving said oriented parts to turn the same 90* to a rolling orientation.
 10. In the feeder of claim 1, a pneumatic assist directed across the reject discharge above the midpoint of a horizontally aligned part to assist in the discharge of the same.
 11. In the feeder of claim 9, a turning finger extension of said corner trap to deliver the parts to the turning chute.
 12. A method for feeding cylindrical parts comprising the steps of confining the cylindrical parts for single file movement, positioning all parts with the cylindrical axes either along the flow path or perpendicular thereto, elevating all parts whereby the parts with their axis perpendicular to the flow path rise above the parts with their axes parallel to the flow path, confining the higher parts diagonally across their corners, rejecting the parts with their axes parallel to the flow path by supporting at an unstable location away from the effective center of gravity thereby permitting the same to fall away while the other parts remain. 